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  • Essay / Power, authority and conflict - 1622

    1) Power is a difficult concept to identify; it has been defined in several ways by many researchers. Hinings et al. (1967) argue that power is analogous to bureaucracy, while Bierstedt (1950) and Blau (1964) argue that it is pure coercion (Stojkovic et al, 2008). Furthermore, Hall and Tolbert (2005) identify five types of power: reward, coercive, legitimate, referent and expert (Stojkovic et al, 2008). According to studies, these five types of power are important and necessary in a criminal justice agency for greater effectiveness and efficiency. The five different types of power cannot be implemented in every unit; instead, different policies must be implemented within different units for effective administrative power. According to Tifft (1978), different units of a police force allow different types of power to be developed (Stojkovic et al, 2008). Coercive and legitimate power may be observed in a patrol sergeant due to the unit's specific duties, whereas a tactical unit exhibits extreme levels of referent, expert, and legitimate power due to the structural design and unique activities (Stojkovic et al, 2008). For example, in a police department, detective units would benefit greatly if sergeants had prior experience in the unit, as power and expert knowledge are essential to the sergeant's role (Stojkovic et al, 2008). Since knowledge of the methods used for common crimes gives the sergeant the necessary information that is valued and respected by subordinate detectives, it is essential for the police administrator to recruit individuals into the unit with experience as a detective (Stojkovic et al, 2008). Thus, the social bases of power differ between organizations and structural characteristics affect the ......anization of paper. The last episode of a conflict is the continuation of the conflict. At this stage, if the issues listed in the latent conflict episode are addressed satisfactorily, the conflict will be resolved (Stojkovic et al, 2008). This is the type of resolution that managers and supervisors should seek in order to minimize organizational conflict. However, if the conflicts listed above are not resolved and only suppressed, then the conflict resurfaces and the organization will enter the post-conflict phase (Stojkovic et al, 2008). The problem with this episode is that it could become serious and weaken the relationship between the two parties and will never be completely repaired. For example, in prisons, if the conditions listed in latent conflict are never resolved, the conflict will escalate until another disruption occurs (Stojkovic et al., 2008)